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Aqua Hot Hack

Attention aqua hot users.  How many have gone to take a shower and forgot to turn on the aqua hot?  Well, check out this hack.  Let me know what you think.  The guy in this video installed a flow switch to the shower hot water line.  When shower is turned on aqua hot fires.  If you are boondocker that tries to conserve water and how much is going into the waste tank,  this is not for you.  If you are always plugged in at a campsite and love to take long showers this may be for you.  What say you?
John M.

https://youtu.be/k03LndVYTE4
John & Carm Morales

"We travel not to go anywhere, but to just go.  We travel for travel's sake.  Our great desire is to move."

Re: Aqua Hot Hack

Reply #1
If your water is cold it will not be very hot for about 20 min on diesel, seems like a big waste of water.

Here are some of my projects.

I put in a hot water recirculation system to conserve water by moving hot water to the distribution manifold. No waiting for hot water in the shower.
    Hot Water Recirculation

I added a timer to shut the water pump off after a user definable time.  Never leave the pump on when you are gone.
  Water Pump Timer Automatically Switches Pump Off

I added temperature gauges at the Aqua Hot and at the Hot side of the distribution manifold.  Gauges come on when pump is turned on.  And of course they go off when the pump timer goes off.

And a large red pushbutton switch in the kitchen and bathroom.  Easy to find and operate.
Roger Engdahl and Susan Green
2001 U320 3610 #5879 (Home2) - 2014 Jeep Cherokee or 2018 F150
Hastings, MN

Re: Aqua Hot Hack

Reply #2
With this setup you would always leave your electric hot water on.  Then when the hot water demand exceeds the power of the electric element the aqua hot diesel burner will keep up with the hot water use.  I always run both when taking a shower and forget sometimes to turn on the aqua hot.
John M.
John & Carm Morales

"We travel not to go anywhere, but to just go.  We travel for travel's sake.  Our great desire is to move."

Re: Aqua Hot Hack

Reply #3
With this setup you would always leave your electric hot water on.  Then when the hot water demand exceeds the power of the electric element the aqua hot diesel burner will keep up with the hot water use.  I always run both when taking a shower and forget sometimes to turn on the aqua hot.
John M.

John, you will only forget once when the DW starts screaming!  lol
Joe & Dottie Allen
Sold!  December 2023.      2000 U320; build # 5645
Our coach " Maxine"
Motorcade #  15922;  Escapee 150950; FMCA F330833; Boondockers Welcome;  Harvest Hosts;  Thousand Trails
'98 U320 from 2000-'06
USAF '62-'66

"Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for." ―Epicurus

Re: Aqua Hot Hack

Reply #4
Depends on how you shower.  When we have hookups we'll take longer showers with the water running continually, often at a reduced rate.  When dry camping we'll take a navy shower to conserve. 
With hookups if we're not needing the aquahot for heating we find the electric will usually keep up with showering.  But by looking at the temperature gauge we know at a glance if we need to turn on the diesel burner.  From experience if the temp. is at 140º or higher it's enough for a hot shower. 
The temp. gauge on the aquahot tank is a great tool.
Forest & Cindy Olivier
1987 log cabin
2011 Roadtrek C210P
no longer 1999 36' U320 build #5522
2013 Rzr 570 & 2018 Ranger XP1000
2006 Lexus GX470
2011 Tahoe LT 4x4
Previous 1998 45' 2 slide Newell, 1993 39' Newell

Re: Aqua Hot Hack

Reply #5
Folivier, Where on the tank did you mount the sensor for the temp gauge and where did you get them?
Chris
1999 U 320 DGFE
Build Number 5523
Chris & Elka Lang
In the field, Lonoke AR

Re: Aqua Hot Hack

Reply #6
I slipped the sender behind the plate that holds the thermostats on the aquahot.
Here's my post:  What did you do to your coach today VIII
Forest & Cindy Olivier
1987 log cabin
2011 Roadtrek C210P
no longer 1999 36' U320 build #5522
2013 Rzr 570 & 2018 Ranger XP1000
2006 Lexus GX470
2011 Tahoe LT 4x4
Previous 1998 45' 2 slide Newell, 1993 39' Newell